William Scott (artist)
Encyclopedia
William Scott was a British
artist known for still life and abstract painting. He is the most internationally celebrated of 20th century Ulster
painters.
, Scotland
, to Scots-Irish parents, he was brought to Enniskillen
, County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
, his father’s native town, in 1924. His father was a housepainter and signwriter and died in 1927. He was educated at the Model School and attended night classes in art at the Technical School, taught by Kathleen Bridle. He went to Belfast College of Art
in 1928 and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy
Schools in London
in 1931. There he won a silver medal and became a Landseer scholar in painting. He was awarded a Leverhulme scholarship in 1935.
. During the early years of World War II
he helped to run an art school in France and from there went to live in Dublin and then London. From 1942 to 1946 he served with the Royal Engineers
, and learned lithography
in the map-making section. From 1946 until 1956 Scott was senior lecturer in painting at the Bath Academy of Art
. He visited the USA
and met Jackson Pollock
, Elaine de Kooning
, Franz Kline
and Mark Rothko
. Until then largely a still life painter, Scott’s work underwent a radical reduction in colour and form and he was greatly influenced by his contact with the American Abstract Expressionists
. In 1961, he executed a mural for the Altnagelvin Hospital
, Derry
. He died in Bath, Somerset in 1989.
in 1954 and 1958. He exhibited in London, America, Italy
, Switzerland
, West Germany, France, Canada
and Australia
, as well as Belfast
and Dublin. A retrospective of his work was held at the Tate Gallery
, London in 1972 and in 1998 a major retrospective was organised by the Irish Museum of Modern Art
, Dublin.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist known for still life and abstract painting. He is the most internationally celebrated of 20th century Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
painters.
Early life and education
Born in GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to Scots-Irish parents, he was brought to Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, his father’s native town, in 1924. His father was a housepainter and signwriter and died in 1927. He was educated at the Model School and attended night classes in art at the Technical School, taught by Kathleen Bridle. He went to Belfast College of Art
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
in 1928 and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
Schools in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1931. There he won a silver medal and became a Landseer scholar in painting. He was awarded a Leverhulme scholarship in 1935.
Career
He married in 1937 and lived abroad, mostly in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. During the early years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he helped to run an art school in France and from there went to live in Dublin and then London. From 1942 to 1946 he served with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and learned lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
in the map-making section. From 1946 until 1956 Scott was senior lecturer in painting at the Bath Academy of Art
Bath School of Art and Design
Bath School of Art and Design is an art college in Bath, England. It forms part of the Bath Spa University whose main campus is located a few miles from the City at Newton Park, near Corston, Somerset.-History:...
. He visited the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and met Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Elaine de Kooning
Elaine de Kooning
Elaine de Kooning was an Abstract Expressionist, Figurative Expressionist painter in the post-World War II era and editorial associate for Art News magazine...
, Franz Kline
Franz Kline
Franz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
and Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
. Until then largely a still life painter, Scott’s work underwent a radical reduction in colour and form and he was greatly influenced by his contact with the American Abstract Expressionists
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
. In 1961, he executed a mural for the Altnagelvin Hospital
Altnagelvin Area Hospital
Altnagelvin Area Hospital is the main hospital for the North West of Northern Ireland. It provides services to the city of Derry as well as County Londonderry, but also some specialist and acute services for parts of neighbouring County Donegal, County Tyrone, County Antrim and County Fermanagh...
, Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. He died in Bath, Somerset in 1989.
Exhibitions
He represented Britain at the Venice BiennaleVenice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 1954 and 1958. He exhibited in London, America, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, West Germany, France, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, as well as Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Dublin. A retrospective of his work was held at the Tate Gallery
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
, London in 1972 and in 1998 a major retrospective was organised by the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum opened in May 1991 and is located in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 17th-century building near Heuston Station to the west of Dublin's city...
, Dublin.
Works
- Still Life With Orange Note (1970), Oil on canvas, Arts Council of Northern IrelandArts Council of Northern IrelandThe Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....
collection